Drug Discovery

Drug discovery moves promising ideas from the lab toward validation as effective medical treatments. SRI Biosciences brings more than five decades of interdisciplinary scientific expertise to the National Institutes of Health, other government agencies, foundations, and private-sector clients. At all stages of drug discovery, SRI researchers rapidly identify and optimize new drug leads and move them toward preclinical development.

Areas of Expertise

Drugs discovered and developed by SRI through collaborative partnerships include

  • Halfan® (halofantrine), a malaria treatment

  • VIRA-A/Ara-A (vidarabine), an antiviral drug active against Herpes simplex and Varicella zoster viruses

  • Targretin® (bexarotene) and Folotyn® (pralatrexate), lymphoma treatments

  • Tirapazamine, to target tumor hypoxia

Projects

bioscience workers in a lab
Anti-Infectives Development for National Institutes of Health

SRI is conducting preclinical development of treatments for diseases such as tuberculosis, West Nile virus, hepatitis, and biodefense pathogens and toxins.

Topics: Chemistry, Manufacturing + Controls (CMC) Discovery ADMET and In Vitro Metabolism Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Drug Formulation Development Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical R+D
silhouette of a man looking at BioCyc software
BioCyc Database Collection

A comprehensive website for sharing fundamental information about biochemical pathways and genomes with researchers around the world.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence Bioinformatics + Computational Biology Drug Discovery Metabolic Diseases
monoclonal antibodies
Discovery of Tyrosine Kinase 2 Inhibitors

Novel molecular targets of several cytokines are being evaluated by SRI scientists, with the goal of designing a small-molecule drug to block responses involved in many of these inflammatory diseases.

Topics: Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Immunology + Inflammation Medicinal Chemistry
EcoCyc logo
EcoCyc: Encyclopedia of E. coli Genes and Metabolism

EcoCyc is SRI's bioinformatics database that describes the genome and the biochemical machinery of Escherichia coli.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence Drug Discovery
a high-throughput fluorescence polarization assay
Gyrase B Inhibitors for Tuberculosis

SRI is seeking new treatments for tuberculosis, a global health crisis.

Topics: Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases Medicinal Chemistry
scientist working at a computer
Improving Cognitive Deficits

SRI is investigating novel methods and treatments to improve cognitive deficits caused by diseases such as Alzheimer’s and depression.

Topics: Behavioral Health Behavioral Pharmacology Cognition and Central Nervous System Disorders Drug Discovery Human Sleep Neuroscience Stress Disorders
gloved hand catching pill capsules coming out of a dispenser
SMARTT Projects: Treatments for Lung, Heart, Blood Diseases

Through a broad range of services for the National Institutes of Health, SRI is accelerating preclinical development of potential therapies for diseases that affect millions of people.

Topics: Chemistry, Manufacturing + Controls (CMC) Clinical Laboratory Services Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery
hand holding a petri dish of bacterial culture up to the light
Vitamin A Biosynthesis in Probiotic Bacteria

Vitamin A deficiency causes susceptibility — especially in children — to diarrhea-causing infections, which lead to millions of deaths each year. SRI is developing a probiotic that produces the vitamin.

Topics: Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Drug Formulation Development Pharmaceutical R+D

Products + Solutions

Pathway Tools screen shot
Pathway Tools

Comprehensive symbolic systems biology software used by researchers to create pathway databases for organisms with sequenced genomes. Hundreds of pathway databases within the BioCyc collection facilitate gene expression and metabolomics data analysis, and speed development of metabolic flux models.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence Bioinformatics + Computational Biology Drug Discovery
researcher working in lab
SR16157: A Safer, More Effective Estrogen Inhibitor for Treating Breast Cancer

As an alternative to AIs, SRI has developed an estrogen inhibitor called SR16157. This rationally designed drug achieves more complete estrogen suppression by inhibiting estrogen in two ways.

Topics: Basic Cancer Research Cancer Drug Discovery Drug Discovery Drug Lead Identification + Optimization
researchers in lab coats working at a lab table
SR16388: A Novel Drug That Inhibits Tumor Growth by Targeting ERRalpha

SRI researchers have developed a novel steroidal compound, SR16388, which very selectively binds to and inhibits ERRalpha. This drug also regulates tumor energy metabolism by strongly inhibiting the protein HIF-1alpha, which promotes tumor cell survival in low-oxygen conditions.

Topics: Basic Cancer Research Cancer Drug Discovery Drug Discovery Drug Lead Identification + Optimization Pharmaceutical R+D
two researchers in lab coats working at equipment
TAS-108: A Better Anti-Estrogen Drug for Treating Breast Cancer

As a safer and more effective alternative to currently available drugs, SRI researchers have developed TAS-108, an oral anti-estrogen drug for the treatment of advanced breast cancer.

Topics: Basic Cancer Research Cancer Drug Discovery Drug Discovery Drug Lead Identification + Optimization

Press Releases

two silhouetted figures look at computer screens
Agilent Technologies’ New Pathway Architect Software to Include SRI International’s BioCyc Pathway Database Collection

Agilent Technologies Inc. and SRI have signed a licensing agreement to offer laboratory research customers an integrated package that includes SRI's complete BioCyc Pathway Database Collection.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence Biofuels + Bioproducts Drug Discovery Proteomics Synthetic Biology
Mario Geysen
Distinguished Scientist H. Mario Geysen Joins SRI International to Lead Combinatorial Sciences and Metabolic Diseases Research Program

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, announced today that H. Mario Geysen, Ph.D., has joined SRI International's Center for Advanced Drug Research (CADRE) in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

Topics: Drug Discovery Drug Formulation Development
Jia-Hwa Fang
Jia-Hwa Fang Joins SRI Biosciences as Director of Clinical Manufacturing

Jia-Hwa Fang, Ph.D., has joined SRI Biosciences as Director of Clinical Manufacturing. In this new role, he will lead a team to transfer and scale-up R&D, Good Laboratory Practice (GLP), and pilot formulations for early stage clinical trial materials.

Topics: Chemistry, Manufacturing + Controls (CMC) Clinical Laboratory Services Combinatorial Chemistry Drug Discovery Drug Formulation Development Drug Pipeline Pharmaceutical R+D Pharmaceutical Sciences: Analytical Chemistry Pharmaceutical Sciences: Stability Studies Pre-formulation Studies
Joseph Perrone Joins SRI International to Direct Molecular Diagnostics and Rare and Neglected Diseases Group

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, today announced that Joseph Perrone, Sc.D., has joined SRI’s International's Center for Advanced Drug Research (CADRE) in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia.

Topics: Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Drug Formulation Development
Lidia Sambucetti Joins SRI International to Lead Cancer Drug Discovery Programs

Lidia Sambucetti, Ph.D., has joined SRI International's Biosciences Division as senior director of cancer research, where she will direct cancer drug discovery efforts, collaborating with scientific and business development colleagues.

Topics: Basic Cancer Research Drug Discovery
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Awards Grant to Continue Development of Computational Tools for Tuberculosis Drug Discovery

Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. and SRI International have been awarded a second National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) grant to continue development of an information repository and software to identify novel therapeutics for tuberculosis.

Topics: Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases Synthetic Biology
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Awards Grant to SRI International and Collaborative Drug Discovery, Inc. to Develop Computational Tools

SRI International announced that they have been awarded a grant to support the first year of a software development project focused on tuberculosis drug discovery efforts.

Topics: Bioinformatics + Computational Biology Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases
complete human metabolic pathway map
New Software Speeds Development of Genome-Scale Models for Drug and Fuel Research

A new software tool can substantially decrease time required for researchers to construct genome-scale models of metabolic networks. Metabolic networks are the complete set of metabolic and physical processes that determine physiological and biochemical properties of a cell.

Topics: Artificial Intelligence Bioinformatics + Computational Biology Drug Discovery Software Engineering Synthetic Biology
Rathnam Chaguturu of SRI International
Rathnam Chaguturu Joins SRI's Center for Advanced Drug Research as Senior Director of Exploratory Research

Rathnam Chaguturu, Ph.D., has joined SRI International's Center for Advanced Drug Research as senior director of Exploratory Research.

Topics: Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical R+D Pharmaceutical Sciences: Analytical Chemistry Proteomics
researchers in SRI lab
SRI International Awarded Contract Worth Up to $100M from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

SRI International has been awarded a contract worth up to $100.5 million over 10 years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Topics: Disease Focus Areas Drug Discovery Immunology + Inflammation Infectious Diseases Metabolic Diseases Microbiology Pharmaceutical R+D Pre-formulation Studies Preclinical Drug Development Target Validation + Assay Development Vaccine Development

SRI In the News

Fighting Deadly Parasitic Infections with a UV Flashlight

This video interview with Ellen Beaulieu, a medicinal chemist at SRI International, shows how SRI researchers are using fluorescent dyes and a simple ultraviolet flashlight to create a test that can detect parasitic infections in human beings.

Topics: Biomarkers Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases Pharmaceutical R+D Proteomics
SRI Wins Grants to Develop Technologies

This article reports that SRI International recently received two federal grants, “one to develop technology to use natural gas in vehicles, and the other to develop an oral therapy for multiple sclerosis."

Topics: Drug Discovery Energy + Sustainability
STEM Sell Episode #18

This radio interview with Dr. Rajeev Vaidyanathan of SRI International's Center for Advanced Drug Research discusses insect-borne diseases such as dengue fever and leishmaniasis and the complex interactions between virus, insect, and human host.

Topics: Drug Discovery
TB Drug Discovery

This article reports that Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD) and SRI International won a second Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) grant to support the continued development of a computational approach to tuberculosis (TB) drug discovery.

Topics: Drug Discovery Infectious Diseases Synthetic Biology
Using Enzymes From Fireflies To Illuminate Cures for Cancer

This article describes how Lidia Sambucetti and her team of researchers are using enzymes from fireflies to determine if the drug combinations that they're researching are effectively neutralizing cancerous cell growth.

Topics: Drug Discovery
Meet Our Innovators: Peter Madrid

More Videos (3)

Divisions, Centers + Labs